


Signed, Anonymous

by The Curator of The Sands (GrimRevolution)



Series: The Knight and the Princess [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 3+1 but without the 1, Alternate Universe - Fusion, F/F, Kinda twelfth night inspired, Kissing, Lesbians, Pidge | Katie Holt-centric, The war never happened and everyone is altean, bring all the lesbians, more lesbians, u know what we need more of?, written in parts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-03 00:27:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12737343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrimRevolution/pseuds/The%20Curator%20of%20The%20Sands
Summary: Pidge has been hiding in plain sight for so long; hiding being a woman, a knight of Voltron, a genius.Allura knows a lot, but she doesn't know all of it.She wants to change that.





	Signed, Anonymous

**Author's Note:**

> "For most of history, Anonymous was a woman."
> 
> \- Virgina Woolf

ONE

_The Hand_

The kiss had been more of a 'thank you', a sign of gratefulness. Pidge tried to think nothing of it as she recovered quietly away from the main hustle of the castle. The other Voltron Knights visited often during the less busier days; Hunk with his food and talking about one of the maidens that worked in the garden, saying she had an almost “uncanny ability, almost as if she could speak to the earth” (it could have been possible, Shay was, after all, not Altean). Lance and his wild stories of grandeur and home. Keith who spoke quietly and seemed to know everything about everyone and wasn't ashamed to tell her that it took Coran precisely twelve minutes to wreck the new transporter.

And Shiro, who stopped by when he could and told her that the king, in apology and gratefulness, was going to give her a medal. Pidge had hoped to get the news from Allura, but she hadn't seen the princess since the morning and the... _kiss_.

Now, she was standing in her own quarters, dressed in more green than was usual for the servants of the castle, and tried to keep her shaking knees as steady as possible. The poison was gone, cleared from her system, but the doctor reminded her that her body still needed to heal after what it had gone through. Shiro had offered her a wheeled chair for the ceremony but Pidge was certain she could stand.

If not, pure stubbornness might be just enough to keep her upright until she could collapse in a place away from watching eyes so that she could, at least, keep her dignity.

“Hey,” Hunk's voice came through her door and he knocked twice, “ready?”

With one last look in the mirror Pidge squared her shoulders and straightened her glasses.

 _No, not really_ , was the answer, but it wasn't like she could say no.

Hunk was waiting for her with one of the wheeled chairs and Pidge pulled back with a frown, almost ducking back into her quarters. “I said—”

“I know,” he said and patted the seat invitingly, like someone calling out to a pet to jump up on their lap. Pidge was neither a pet nor was being invited into Hunk's lap, so she squinted and stared up at the larger Knight. He was wearing his ceremonial yellows, and they managed to be done in a way that he wasn’t brighter than a star, “but that doesn't mean you have to walk all the way to the entrance hall.”

A wave of relief almost sent her to the floor but Pidge's knees held up long enough for her friend to guide her into the chair. At most, she figured she could be spared the embarrassment of sitting before the king while everyone else could stand. But there was something else, a kind of confidence that maybe she would be able to stay standing if she only had to walk a portion of the way to the grand hall.

Pidge managed to pick her feet up and put them on the rests before Hunk started pushing, but she waved away the blanket he offered, sitting up, instead, with her back straight and her hands folded in her lap. They didn't pass anyone on the way through the castle and the grounds; her guide taking the longer but more secluded route.

She reached over to pat his arm when he stopped to point out some plants he found out were pretty good in cold soups and he ruffled her hair.

“Cold soups?” Pidge smiled partially, eyebrows raised in slight amusement when what he said caught up to her.

“Dessert soups,” he said and then paused as one of the wheels knocked against a corner he was trying to guide her around. “Well, I suppose there could also be cold _savory_ soups but I've just been working with fruits and flowers.”

“So...” Pidge tilted her head to the side. “Smoothies, but in a bowl.”

Hunk gasped in offense. “ _No_ ,” he said and she could sense his scowl, “they are not ' _smoothies in a bowl'_.”

Shrugging, Pidge turned as far as she could and felt a small twinge flare up under her ribs. That didn't stop her from grinning up at him. “Like I said,” she said even as he placed his palm on the top of her head and turned her back around, “they don't sound any—”

The Princess was standing in the doorway that led to the grand chambers hosting the king's throne. She was wearing a white halter dress with two green bands crossing across her stomach and a floor length skirt that had green marks flowing up from her feet, almost like leaves caught in a breeze.

Allura hadn't seen them yet, talking with Shiro who was dressed in his black military jacket with its large, gold buttons and blue highlights around the high collar and pockets.

Hunk pressed down on Pidge's shoulder as she tried to stand in front of her superior officer and the Princess and she almost glared up at him.

Almost, because that was when Shiro caught sight of her.

“Pidge,” he said, Allura beside him and they stepped forward together, “are you feeling any better?”

He had asked that of her since she had swallowed the poison but meant every word of it.

“All the time,” Pidge told him, which was true. Every day was better than the last and the doctor was sure she would be back to her normal duties within the week—granted, with a lot of breaks for rest.

Allura shifted her weight and Shiro glanced at the Princess before he turned to Hunk.

“May I speak with you?”

Pidge heard the yellow knight's hands tighten on the back of her chair and the wood creak beneath his grip before Hunk finally released. She sat, back stiff, as they walked some distance away leaving her alone with the princess. The men's voices were a murmur, background noise, and if she focused she could probably figure out what they were saying, but before she could even try, Allura kneeled before the chair and took the Green Knight’s hands in her own.

Jerking, Pidge opened her mouth to say something but the Princess spoke up before she could.

“I’m sorry if it seem like I was avoiding you,” Allura said, her bright eyes glancing away from Pidge’s face.

 _No, no_ , she wanted to speak up, but habit of not interrupting royalty forced her to swallow her words. It wasn’t as if they had met before the cup and the drink and the poison. Pidge had just been another servant in the castle. 

“Unfortunately, due to the incident, my father and I have been in many meetings with the Ohgihron government, discussing the punishment for Ambassador Chilquin and any… other consequences that need to be addressed.”

Pidge nodded. It made sense; the fact that the cup had originally been meant for the Princess was enough to cause a war. Keith had said something about it; the fact that the king wanted a more diplomatic solution but, should it come to it, would not be above demanding compensation for what had happened.

So far, it seemed like the diplomatic approach was working and that the Ohgihron officials were willing to throw their ambassador to the wolves.

“I would,” Pidge said slowly, her words careful, “accept any decision my king was to make.” If they were to go to war, she would go as a Knight of Voltron.

“More of a reason,” Allura countered, “to keep you home.” Her hands squeezed Pidge’s fingers and then she leaned down and brushed her lips across pale knuckles. “Thank you again, Green Knight, for your service.”

A heavy heart beat slammed down in Pidge’s chest and she opened her mouth, lips dry, and wondered if the poison had come back. Face burning, she watched as Allura straightened, smoothed out her skirts, and hardened her features.

Shiro and Hunk stepped back up before there was anything else that could have been said and the yellow knight’s hands returned to the back of the wheeled chair.

“General,” Allura turned to the Black Knight, “will you walk with me? I have some concerns my father thought would best be for your ears.”

“Of course, Princess,” Shiro bowed at the waist and followed her, looking back at his knights. “I’ll send Keith to fetch you when it’s time.”

Hunk grinned and offered a lazy salute.

Pidge nodded slowly, her eyes on Allura’s back. Once the general and the Princess turned a corner, she dropped her head back against the chair, stared at the ceiling, and groaned. Behind her, the Yellow Knight ran one hand over her forehead and laughed at her misery.

oOo

 

TWO

_The Cheek_

The woven wooden clothes basket caught on Pidge’s shirt as she ran down the hallway. White linens, folded quickly but perfectly, sat inside, fresh and still warm from the laundry room located deep in the basement of the castle. They were late, though, and should have been washed the night _before_ and if she was going to get in trouble for that damn kid one _more_ time—

Pidge grunted, sliding around a corner and skidded to a stop at the sight of the head maid standing outside Allura’s rooms.

Talking to the Princess.

Before she could backpedal back around the corner, Allura looked up, saw her, and smiled.

“Pidge! I’ve been looking for you,” the princess said and Pidge stared up at her, blinked a couple of times, and turned to the head maid who nodded and pointedly took the basket of linens from her already lax grasp.

“I’m sorry if I kept you waiting, Your Highness,” she said, because what else was there to say? A Princess didn’t just _search_ for someone. They sent a servant, maybe even a messenger boy for a summons if the person they wanted to talk to was important enough.

Allura waved her hand, brushing the apology off to the side, “no, no, I needed the time away.” The princess turned and started to walk away from the room and, after a moment of slight hesitation, Pidge followed. “General Shiro and I talked in great length after the award ceremony,” She said. “The decision, of course, would be yours, but I do believe that you would be the best person for the job and Shiro did agree on that.”

Walking faster to keep up with the Princess’ long strides, Pidge blinked owlishly for a moment, tilted her head to the side, and frowned. Had she missed something? “Sorry,” The Green Knight spoke up softly, “What is it that you are asking me to do?”

Allura paused and then spun around on her heels, skirts swaying around her ankles, “Oh, she murmured and then her nose wrinkled. “I didn’t even—right!”The Princess clasped her hands behind her back.

Pidge snapped to attention out of habit—straight back, squared shoulders, heels together. The only thing missing was the salute.

“Shiro thought it would be best if I were to have a bodyguard around me until all these declarations and treaties were signed. I, of course, thought that you would be a perfect candidate.”

For a split second, Pidge wondered if her heart had stopped beating and if someone had poured the ocean into her ears. “Y-Your Highness?”

Allura nodded, not seeming to have noticed the position the poor other woman was in. “See, it would be perfect—I could have you posing as my personal servant, of course, which would be perfect. No one would ever expect you to be a bodyguard.”

Not knowing if she should be insulted by that or not, Pidge shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Wouldn’t it be awfully strange for a boy to be your head servant though, Your Highness?” Of course, Shiro and Allura would know she was a girl, but as for everyone else…?

“No,” the Princess said and leaned forward, cupping Pidge’s jaw in her hand and turning her face one way and then the other. The touch was gentle and the Green Knight almost closed her eyes at the contact. “In any case, you would be doing things like bringing food, drinks, messages, and other sort of things.”

Pidge nodded, what else was there that she _could_ do? But, to be the servant of the princess—it didn’t sound so bad. There were certainly worse places to be and, at least, Allura was _nice_. Being a body guard would be the difficult part, some of the tasks of a servant weren’t… all too close to those they were serving.

She’d have to talk to Shiro.

The hand against her chin moved, tilting her head again and Pidge’s eyes flickered up to find the Princess’ gaze. Allura only smiled though, leaned down, and pressed her lips to the freckles splattered across the pale cheek.

Warmth spread from the spot. It danced over her nose and stretched from ear to ear.

Allura leaned back and smiled, “I hope you accept, Pidge.”

“Uh huh,” The Green Knight nodded, honorifics forgotten, her normally fast thoughts slugging through molasses at the speed of snails on crutches. Soft skin pulled away and the Princess turned to head back to whatever duties needed to be done.

Pidge watched the skirts flutter and the sun play off the gold woven into the seams of the dress before the taller woman left her sight.

And then, she pressed her hot face against the cold stone and couldn’t decide whether she should curse her general or bless him.

 

THREE

_The Lips_

After the novelty of working under the Princess wore off, Pidge found that it was nothing more than every other job she had done—cleaning, fetching, jotting down mental notes to remind Allura of later, and following the Princess’ skirts where ever they might go. She stayed silent and off to the side until called forward, constantly keeping an eye on people and those moving in and out of rooms.

When news of a party of Ohgihron officials arriving soon to offer personal apologies to the king and the princess, the underground of the castle burst into action. Cleaning out spare rooms, preparing food, finishing up projects. Pidge scrambled from one of the castle to the other, bringing food menus, drink menus, speech scripts, guard formations, and other documents that held who-knows-what to Allura and back out to others.

The moment she left the Princess’ offices, the Green Knight was sprinting, passing others in her exact same situation. At one point, she passed Keith speaking quietly to Shiro and she almost skidded to a stop before he motioned her to continue on.

“Wish they had given me a bit more notice,” Hunk bemoaned at his stoves and perked up as Pidge leaned over a set of clean pots waiting to be put to work and handed over the updated menu. “Soups, fine, ohhh? It might be difficult to roast the meat in time but we could do the entrée—” He called over one of the other cooks and the Green Knight turned to take her leave of the blazing ovens. “Oi! Pidge!”

Turning back, she tilted her head to the side.

Hunk nodded at one of the bottles of wine on the rack. “The red one—I’m sure the Princess could use it.”

“Oh,” Pidge thought of frazzled white hair and pouting lips. “Yes, yes, you’re right, thank you!” She took the bottle, a serving tray, and one of the polished wine glasses before slipping out of the heat and back into the cool hallway.

Bottle in hand, glass between her fingers, and tray under her arm, Pidge jogged back to the Princess’ office, careful around corners to not bump into anyone else coming around. When she got to the double wooden doors, the Knight straightened her clothing, squared her shoulders, and knocked.

“Come in!”

Allura was still leaning over head desk, pen in hand, frowning at the document currently laying out in front of her. She looked up as the door opened, and her face softened when seeing Pidge. “Thank goodness—what news do you bring?”

Picking up the screw off the serving table, the servant worked it into the topper of the wine bottle and placed the serving tray and the glass beside her as she worked. “Hunk approved the menu, he said it would be close to get it done in time, but there shouldn’t be any problem.” She took care not to poke the metal through the wood and, when it was deep enough, worked the cork out bit by bit, “Shiro approved of the guard positioning, but he said that it would leave the security in the northern towers a bit… lacking. He was going to see if he could get some of those on their off days to help out.”

Nodding, Allura leaned back in her chair. “And the rooms…?”

“Cleaned,” pouring enough wine to fill half the glass, Pidge could feel The Princess’ eyes on her back. “Extra bedding, blankets, and pillows have been prepared and are waiting in the spare closets.”

“Good,” the word was sighed and, finally, the servant turned around, holding the glass and offering it to Allura. She took it with a small, grateful smile, and sipped at the contents.

As the Princess finished the drink, Pidge moved about the office, tidying up where it was needed, throwing away what wasn’t necessary or had been discarded, and placed books back in their places on the shelves.

“Would you answer a question, Pidge?”

Looking over her shoulder, the servant tilted her head to the side, “of course, Princess.”

Allura was looking into the dark wine, swirling it around slowly in the glass. “Tell me,” she said carefully, “what does the Green Knight do for Voltron?”

Pidge froze, her fingers hovering over the binding of the last book.

The Princess glanced up and frowned. “If, that is, you are able to tell me.”

“I—” to be honest, she didn’t quite know if she could say anything. But Allura was the _Princess_ , surely she would know eventually?

Why _didn’t_ she know?

“Green is the one who watches,” Pidge finally said, “they explore and discover and bring it all back to everyone else.”

Allura frowned. “A spy, then.”

“Not… in the way that they go around and listen to people’s conversations.” Not like Keith, who snuck into places and tended to burn them as he left. Pidge picked at the hem of her sleeve and licked her lips. She didn’t see the Princess’ eyes focus on the movement. “It’s more… stealing. The Green Knight steals information.” Carefully, so as to not knock over the glob of Altea and the massive amount of holographic maps, the servant worked her way down the small stool and took the Princess’ empty glass to refill it.

She poured the wine, placed the bottle back down on the table, and turned around.

It was only the fact that the glass was half full that it didn’t spill all over the floor and her shirt. “Y-Your Highness!”

The Princess had moved from the desk and stood before her, smile small but kind.

“Sorry,” Pidge took a step back, her hip knocking into the side of the small table, “I didn’t see you.”

“No,” Allura mused and gently took the glass from the servant’s fingers. “No apologies; I was the one who snuck up on you.”

Pidge rubbed the back of her neck and bit her bottom lip. She was getting too relaxed if the Princess had been able to get behind her. She would have to—“Allura?”

Holding the glass in two of her fingers, the princess downed the wine in two fast gulps, placed the cup on top of the serving dish, and looked back down at the shorter woman. Bright eyes had darkened and, yet, seemed to shine in the dim gloom of the office.

 _Predatorily_.

Pidge swallowed.

“Y-Your Highness—” Her voice grew higher as the princess cupped her jaw, thumb brushing over the curve of her cheek and following the dotted line of her freckles and the pale green crescent markings. The wall was cold against her shoulders, bookshelves and servant’s table to the left, door to the right.

 _When?_ She thought dully, _What?_

“I heard Green was the most curious,” The princess hummed softly and her gaze searched Pidge’s. Blue to brown. The sea to the earth.

Allura was like flower salt in her heart; and she hurt so _beautifully_.

“Yes,” Pidge breathed and craned her neck up so carefully, eyes fluttering as Allura’s breath brushed across her cheeks and set her skin alight like starlight. Perhaps it was her freckles, ignited by some deep magic.

The Princess.

The _Princess_.

Pidge froze and their faces were so close, white hair surrounding them like a shroud. Clouds to the front, stone to the back. “Your—” A finger pressed to her lips, pad against the flesh and the Green knight sighed against it, exhaling every other word she wanted to say.

“Allura,” the dark finger dragged down, over a pale chin, across the curved jaw, down the thin neck. It felt Pidge’s swallow and brushed the skin just above her collarbones. “ _Please_ , call me Allura.”

“ _Allura_ ,” Pidge breathed, reached up to hold onto the Princess’ wrist. Not to move it, just grasp. “ _Allura_.”

The hand tipped her chin up. Allura’s lips were warm and her eyelashes were long and the light made the silver tiara glint. A slow thunderstorm rumbled from Pidge’s toes up to her hips and she leaned into the hands holding her. The kiss was chaste, simple; a touch of a paintbrush against canvas and the princess leaned back just enough that both women could tell there was breathing but both were quite sure it wasn’t coming from themselves.

Pidge was quite sure her lungs had stopped working. Her lips were so dry so she dragged her tongue along the subtly cracking skin and felt Allura’s breath chill the wetness left behind.

“You,” the princess tried and stopped and swallowed. “ _You_ ,” she started over again, voice was rough around the edges and the very sound of it made Pidge shiver. But then Allura stopped talking again and sucked in a breath.

Eyes fluttering open, the Green Knight looked up from underneath her lashes. The tip of their noses bumped and Pidge tilted her lips upward. Fingers dug into the mess of her hair and pulled her back to the Princess. Hands spilled sky and starlight across her skin and there was a soft voice inside her soul that wondered what type of language it was that could be carved so carefully into her heart.

The paintbrush was gone and teeth bit down gently on a bottom lip and _dragged_ a moan out of her throat.

Heat shuddered up through Pidge’s chest and she reached up to hold Allura’s neck to keep her close and _there_ , everywhere, all at once. The taste of wine stung her tongue and white hair brushed across her cheek, tangling with her own, brown bangs.

When the Princess’ mouth turned its attention away from Pidge’s swollen lips to kiss up the line of her jaw, the Green Knight could do nothing other than gasp and wonder if there was enough air in the universe for her lungs.

“What’s your name?” Allura murmured between each touch of skin. Her breath was hot and it _burned_.

“P-Pidge.”

A hand ran down her side and gripped her hip, pulling their bodies closer together. Fingers dug down into the depths of history, reaching and grasping to pull something out of the dark.

“ _No,_ ” The princess tugged the shirt out of the slacks and pressed her palm against bare skin. It was _hot_ and it _pulsed_ and Pidge held on as hard as she could, arching up and back so those lips could drag down the sensitive, vulnerable flesh of her neck. “Your _name_.”

_M-my?_

Pidge’s eyes fluttered open and she stared up at the ceiling. Between the hand on her stomach and the lips on her neck, she managed to speak.

“Katie,” she breathed and the word was a jumbled bit of vowels and consonants, as if it was a secret puzzle only to be solved in between shadows and dark places. “My name’s Katie.”

“ _Katie_ ,” Allura murmured and abandoned the curve of Pidge’s throat to find the dip in her collar. “ _Pidge_ ,” the Princess hummed and pale hands cupped under her royal chin and pulled her back up to hungry, open, _gasping_ lips.

The chuckle vibrated from the Princess’ mouth straight into Pidge’s and both women moaned. Stone dug into the Knight’s shoulders, catching on the cotton of her shirt and dragging the fabric further up her waist. Allura rubbed her thumb in circles against the skin.

And Pidge was lost.


End file.
